BLAs Play a Key Role in Error-Free Voter Lists
Chandigarh, March 1, 2025 – Haryana’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pankaj Aggarwal has urged all national and state-recognized political parties to appoint their respective Booth Level Agents (BLA) and submit the list to the CEO office for official records.
Chairing a meeting with political party representatives, Aggarwal highlighted that the Election Commission of India (ECI) recently directed all states and union territories to ensure the appointment of Polling Station-wise BLAs and maintain proper records.
BLAs: An Important Link in the Election Process
Haryana currently has six national and two state-recognized political parties, all of which must appoint Booth Level Agents 1 and 2. These agents act as authorized representatives of their respective parties and receive voting-related materials from the Election Commission.
Aggarwal emphasized that BLAs assist Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in ensuring an error-free voter list by providing essential voter-related information. The ECI recommended BLA appointments in 2008, but many political parties have not taken it seriously. He has directed all parties to submit their BLA lists by March 3, 2025.
Additionally, parties must authorize one or two district-level representatives to oversee BLA appointments and further coordination.
National-Level Workshop on BLA Appointments
A two-day workshop of Chief Electoral Officers from all states is scheduled for March 4-5, 2025, at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in Delhi. This workshop will include a special session on BLA appointments, making it crucial for parties to finalize their lists in advance.
Quarterly Meetings with Political Parties
Aggarwal announced that quarterly meetings with party representatives will be held to review election-related preparations. The next meeting is scheduled in 15 days.
While elections are not currently underway, he emphasized that this is the right time to complete all formalities related to the electoral process, including finalizing BLA records.
Key Attendees
The meeting included Haryana’s Joint Election Officers Apoorv and Rajkumar, along with political party representatives:
BJP: Veerendra Garg
Indian National Congress: Parvinder Singh
CPI (M): H.S. Sathi
INLD: Dr. Satyavrat Dhankhar
